By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, January 13, 2009, abstracted from “Inverse association of carotenoid intakes with 4-y change in bone mineral density in elderly men and women: the Framingham Osteoporosis Study” in the January 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Osteoporosis is “a major public health threat” that costs our healthcare system $18 billion per year, affects 10 million Americans, with another 34 million at risk (1).

There are a number of ways to help maintain bone health, including calcium with vitamin D (2), olive oil (3), soy isoflavones (4), citrus fruit antioxidants (5), and exercising (6). Now a new study (7) has found that lycopene, the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color and known to benefit skin health (8), prostate health (9), female health (10), cellular health (11), and heart health (12), may also help bone health in women.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study (13) with 334 men and 540 women. The study participants, who had an average age of 75 years, completed a 126-item food frequency questionnaire (14) and were measured for bone density in the thigh/hip, low back, and arm.

The researchers found that among women, those with the highest intakes of lycopene (more than 10,401 micrograms per day) had 10% higher bone density at the hip, compared to those with the lowest inake (less than 3467 micrograms per day). Lycopene’s benefit on bone density was not in building bone, but rather in helping maintain bone density.

After a 4-year follow-up, those with the lowest lycopene intake (less than 4622) had a 75% greater decrease in hip bone density (-0.013 vs. -0.042 g/cm2) compared to those with the highest intakes (more than 9245 micrograms per day). No benefits of lycopene intake and bone density were seen in men and no other carotenoids produced significant differences in bone density.

For the researchers, “These results suggest a possible protective effect of carotenoids, particularly of lycopene, against bone loss in older adults” and that “it is therefore possible that carotenoids explain part of the previously observed protective effects of fruit and vegetable intake on [bone density].”

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com

Reference:
1. “Fast Facts” posted on the National Osteoprosis Foundation Website www.nof.org/osteoporosis/diseasefacts.htm
2. Nieves JW. Calcium and vitamin D intake influence bone mass, but not short-term fracture risk, in Caucasian postmenopausal women from the National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment (NORA) study. Osteo Int 2007. 10.1007/s00198-007-0501-2
3. Puel C. Dose–response study of effect of oleuropein, an olive oil polyphenol, in an ovariectomy/inflammation experimental model of bone loss in the rat. Clinical Nutrition. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 5 June 2006
4. Ma D-F. Soy isoflavone intake inhibits bone resorption and stimulates bone formation in menopausal women: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur Jou Clin Nutr epub March 28, 2007; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602748
5. Thornhill C. Seasonal availability of bone-building carotenoid complements vitamin D. Osteoporosis International 2008; 19: 717-20
6. Jacka FN. Depression and bone mineral density in a community sample of perimenopausal women: Geelong Osteoporosis Study. Menopause. 2005 Jan-Feb;12(1):88-91
7. Sahni S. Inverse association of carotenoid intakes with 4-y change in bone mineral density in elderly men and women: the Framingham Osteoporosis Study Am J Clin Nutr 2009 89: 416-424. First published online January 1, 2009; doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.26388
8. Heinrich U. Antioxidant supplements improve parameters related to skin structure in humans. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2006;19(4):224-31
9. Limpens J. Combined Lycopene and Vitamin E Treatment Suppresses the Growth of PC-346C Human Prostate Cancer Cells in Nude Mice J. Nutr. 2006 136: 1287-1293
10. Zhao X. Modification of lymphocyte DNA damage by carotenoid supplementation in postmenopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 83, No. 1, 163-169
11. Vrieling A. Lycopene supplementation elevates circulating insulin-like growth factor–binding protein-1 and -2 concentrations in persons at greater risk of colorectal cancer Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Nov 2007; 86: 1456 – 1462
12. Min-Yu H. Comparison of lycopene and fluvastatin effects on atherosclerosis induced by a high-fat diet in rabbits. In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 30 June 2008
13. Dawber, TR, Meadors, GF & Moore, FE, Jr. Epidemiological approaches to heart disease: the Framingham Study. Am J Public Health 1951;41:279–81
14. Rimm, EB, Giovannucci, EL, Stampfer, MJ, Colditz, GA, Litin, LB & Willett, WC. Reproducibility and validity of an expanded self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire among male health professionals. Am J Epidemiol 1992;135:1114–26 (discussion 1127–36).